How Does Ultraviolet Radiation Cause Skin Cancer?

The basic component in tanning is ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light, whether produced by a tanning unit or by the sun, contains two components; UVA and UVB. These are the two types of ultraviolet radiation that are known to negatively effect the skin. UVA has a longer wavelength that causes photoaging and can produce some melanomas. UVB has a shorter wavelength that also causes photoaging and has been implicated in skin cancers. Photoaging is the premature aging or deep wrinkling of skin. Indoor tanning units utilize both forms of light waves to tan a person with a minimized risk of sunburn. Tanning outdoors does not give you this option because the sun omits every type of UV rays, so a person is more likely to burn. A person’s skin epidermis consists of two layers: The germinative layer and the horny layer. Another name for the germinative layer is the “living layer.” And another name for the horny layer is the “dead” layer. When exposed to ultraviolet light, melanocytes in the germinative layer produce melanin that is absorbed by surrounding cells. Melanin is a dark pigment found in the pigment-bearing cells of the skin, and melanocytes are epidermal cells capable of synthesizing melanin. This creates a protective barrier from ultraviolet light reaching deeper into the layers of the skin. The pale pink melanin granules are stored in the core of keratin cells. UVA darkens the melanin,

Have you ever felt the “false sense of security that [you] may not feel under direct sunlight” from a tanning bed (Jeffrey)? Your body relaxes, you feel serene, and you get a golden glow. Some teens strive for this feeling...and the tan. Tanning is the skin's response to injury, according to Arielle Kauvar, M. D. The exposure of UV rays over time can cause skin cancer. Skin cancer is the growth of abnormal growth of skin cells that forms in the tissue of the skin (Skin Cancer). Melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, can come from UV rays. From 1998- 2008, the number of cases of Melanoma has increased by about

A tanning bed is a faster way to tan, but is it good or bad? This leads to our topic, Do tanning beds cause skin cancer? So yes or no, some people would say no, but the truth is that a tanning bed has the same harmful rays like the sun, or even worst. Both tanning beds and sun, harm your integumentary system with UV rays. Associated with these rays cause three major skin cancer: are Basal Cell Carcinoma (BBC), Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC), and Melanoma the main one.

Sharon Miller is the author of this article and is part of FDA. In this article she discusses how each type of uv rays damage the skin and which uv ray is used in tanning beds. This is relevant to my topic because it demonstrates the risk of skin cancer. Many people think tanning gives them a ¨healthy¨ glow, but in reality a tan is a sign on skin damage. UV-B rays burn the top layer of skin resulting in a sunburn in most cases. UV-A rays burn into a deeper layer of the skin causing a rash to appear. Tanning beds emit UV-B rays and UV-A rays, which is why you tend to get a sunburn before turning dark. The UV-B rays cause your body to emit more melanin, which is a pigment that darkens the skin. This is why we get tan in the summer whether it

    Most people are exposed to large amount UVA rays in their lifetime.They account for up to ninety-five percent of

“Indoor tanning under the age of 18 increases your risk of skin cancer by 75%”(Division of Cancer Prevention Ceanter). Over 10,000 people are expected to die this year from UV related causes. However, many people will disregard these facts and continue on with their harmful habits. There are many effects of artificial tanning and prolonged exposure to the sun. Many people have no idea about the risks of prolonged exposure to the sun, how dangerous artificial tanning actually is, or how radiation is not the only harmful trait of indoor tanning.

Tanning salons also state that some UV radiation is needed for the manufacturing of vitamin D. Vitamin D certifies that a constant level of calcium remains in the blood and controls its absorption. In an advertisement for tanning equipment, one tanning bed company, The Beach House Tanning, claims that the sun is the only source of Vitamin D (http://www.beachouse.com/tanning_benefits.htm). However, vitamin D is also found in foods such as dairy products, cereal, and fish (http://shrike.depaul.edu/~vbard/vitdpg.html), and it takes far less UV radiation to obtain the necessary amount of vitamin D than it does to get a suntan (http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/tanning.html).

The sun contributes to different health conditions, in its own way. Nonmelanoma and melanoma are both a result of the harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Even though basking in the sun on a beach may seem fun and enjoyable, the excessive exposure to the sun can change the texture and look of the skin, resulting in skin damage. Cataracts, which are also caused by increased UV exposure, can cause an individual to lose their sight, if not treated. Increased heat can also cause dehydration. The immune system can be greatly affected by excessive sun exposure, affecting the body’s ability to fight infections.

Ultraviolet light is present in sunlight. Generally the wavelengths are too short to be seen in the visible spectrum, it is present in sunlight, tanning beds, and black lights. (Lynch and Livingston, 2001) Earth’s atmosphere blocks

Some people think having a tan gives them a "healthy glow." But a tan really shows that the skin is trying to protect itself from sun damage. Sun damage can lead to premature aging (wrinkles!), eye damage, and skin cancer.When a type of radiation (ultraviolet [UV] radiation) is exposed to the skin, the skin responds by producing melanin. Melanin is a dark substance that helps prevent the body from taking in too many harmful sun-rays that can damage skin.The sun produces two kinds of rays, UVA and UVB. UVB rays are around all year and UVA rays are mostly present only during the summer. UVA rays are regarded as "safer" and they cause the skin to age, while UVB rays cause the skin to burn. However, both of these types of rays are harmful and

When you do spray tans you can have an allergic reaction but, with sun tanning the consequences are much larger. Skin cell damage from sun tanning at the molecular level causes the development of molecules which destroys collagen, which makes the skin firm and youthful, causing premature aging of the skin. Sun’s rays can cause these things to the eyes, tearing, Pain, and Swollen eyelids, A feeling of sand in the eye Hazy, or decreased vision. Sun damage

Patients who suffer from it often complain of persistent severe dryness and cracking of the lips, resulting in extreme pain in addition to looking bad. This damage done by sun exposure does not stop at the skin and eyes, even though the suns damaging UV rays hit only the outside of our bodies, the inside of our bodies can be affected by the sun too. Risk estimations have been performed by the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment. It is estimated that UV doses relevant to outdoor exposure can ruin proper function of the body’s immune system. This will affect the bodied natural resistance to infectious agents, such as bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi. It sounds like our mothers were wrong when they told us that we needed to go outside and get some sun.

While some believe the effects of sunscreen are counterproductive, it has been shown to prevent premature aging and ultraviolet-Rays from burning your skin. Researchers found that there’s 24% less aging of the skin for people who use sunscreen daily. Along with slower aging, it also prevents age spots which appear with overexposure to the sun. In addition, sunscreen can also prevent the damaging of skin cells from ultraviolet-Rays. For example, perhaps someone is at the beach all day, and by wearing

It has been proven that the Earth’s atmosphere blocks 98.7 percent of the sun’s UV rays. The other 2.3 percent that we are exposed to, have both beneficial and harmful effects. We do need to focus on the benefits, because we have way more of them. The only harm it does to our body is skin cancer, which by being more careful we can protect from. The

The world today is not the same as it was in the beginning. It is constantly changing, and it will not remain as it is now. A big question amongst societies: What does the future hold? Can we control it? Researching how the world works, there are countless variables which may or may not have anything to do with it; they happen by chance. Radiation, UV specifically, plays a role in how the ecosystems of the world work, and depending on where, it can play a large or small role in daily life.